Archive for January, 2013

After a week down south, I’m back. In rather boring news to you all, we had an 8 foot section of frozen pipe to dig out, reposition, valve, heat tape, AND bury 1 foot deeper in the Santa Clara Clay. No fun people, no fun. Though the edge of the Mojave skirts frozen temps year after year, its is rare that the temperature is consistently cold enough to freeze the ground. The northwest facing part of the home is by far the coldest….and when the ground does freeze for say 2 or 3 days straight, it goes down. 4 60 degree days in a row unfroze the top 6 inches of soil….but from 6″ to 1 foot, it was an insulated frozen clay slurpie.
Oh well, its all better now. Thank goodness for rain barrel water and emergency water. You never know when you’ll need it.
Thanks to everybody who wished me a happy birthday.
I got to spend it with good people, and our herd of cats.
It was also the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday, which I celebrated by working….as I usually do.
Alas, between tribal work, and shuffling around my house muttering indian prayers to assist the frozen pipes, there was no riding.
But there will be racing in Hurricane this weekend….the final St. George Cross race is Saturday.
Link HERE.
I know I’ve promised it before, but the shop is planning on being there. The weather looks good…I should get all my stuff done…and that is that.
Its the place to be if your not going to be HERE.
Alright, I”ll leave you with this.

Its Hurls birthday! Happy Birthday Dirtbag!
Yup, there’s Hurl at the Punk Bike Enduro….out there in front….with a front rack.
Sundance is in town. Let the show begin.
Ha, that looks a little bit like BRose. And I know because I”ve seen him without any of his clothes on.
Sundance is great…and a great time to be on the bike. Much easier to bike around town (including getting to work at the JCT) then taking the auto.
There are no big plans in the works for Sundance….Movies, for me, have become too emotional or stimulating…maybe I”m just getting old.
I like to stick with the basics.

Speaking of Sundance, Bikedance is happening on my birthday. I will be returning from deployment that day and celebrating my birthday all at once….I hope that you are ready.

In other news, OOOBS sent me this photo of a possible world record attempt at unseizing a bottom bracket.
Also, the 150 mile ride across the frozen tundra of the great midwest is going on…and man…its cold up there right now and getting colder.
Gosh that sounds like a Tom Waits song.

Let me briefly tell you about a rockstar. When I moved to Park City – there were local people. People who cared about the scene, cared about the people, loved the outdoors….and were into making the town work -not just for them….but for the town. Robo was this guy. 6 weeks ago Robo wasn’t feeling well (Jesus, I know what thats like). A blood clot in his leg later, he was in the hospital. After 4 weeks of tests and bullshit, his diagnosis of SCC was in and he was put into Hospice where he survived two weeks. My old business partner Jeffrey contacted me last Thursday to tell me that Robo had died. But with sadness and defeat also comes the chance to rally and overcome. First off, let me show you one of the finest obituaries I’ve ever seen.
Isn’t that nice!
And on Sunday, rather than have a sappy sad funeral, Park City had a party. And it was packed. Big thanks to Chez Betty for putting it on and thanks to the town for showing up – it was packed. Great to see old friends and share stories. And check out this cake….
Over the years I”ve heard many strong and weak things said about final hours and minutes.
My old friend Kyle Bielenberg (died 2004) from the Flagstaff crew had as his last transmission “Don’t worry about me….I’m not going away….I’m just going on a long ride.”
Some of the greatest I’ve heard were in VA hospitals and on the Indian Reservation, and Robo has added a quote to my list. Robo’s final words to his wife Kim were “I’ll send you down some snow.”
Well, it did snow – and then it became cold. I skied my first day of the season last weekend and the cold didn’t bother me one bit. On the coldest night on the year, I rode my snow bike to Chez Betty….Robo would have thought that was Rad.

So lets shift gears to cycling.
It seems that Lance is going to be on TV this week….and Rapha is having a party that I’ve been invited to.
As I reported earlier, I actually got out and skied this week….I may even go tomorrow, now that the ski-portage bicycle is ready.
Alright, stay warm out there.

The recent little storm to the Wasatch area brought some beautiful snow…but also some very cold temperatures with it. I believe that this will be the coldest few days of the season….and I hope for our palm trees sake that I’m right.
Its cold, but in Belgium they’d call it a great day for racing which is why if your in So. Utah, you should do the CROSS RACE TODAY.
And even if you don’t race, you should go, get drunk, and watch…
Or maybe you could just show up in a costume…
By the way, thats Wakeman…..the guy who designed all the Surly stuff, like, 13 years ago….or something.
Be Safe out there. Jason Randall Jones has broken his tibia.
Well done to Tim and the Canyons crew for getting Jason to safety before he froze to death.
In way more exciting news, Zeke got a new tattoo when he was drunk. Think Beer, Bike, Bucket.
In shop news, its been a good time of the year to get your fork and/or shock worked on. Most can be saved….some just get repurposed.
We’ve also got the website updated….and as I can tell by the number of hits it gets a day (really the only stat I check….just because its on the screen before I get to the blog entry screen) that people are going to it. Excellent. As you can see, we’ve updated the times that we are available for ‘office hours’ and where we will be in the great state of Utah at the given days of the month.
Lastly, let me just remind all the readers that be it my shop, or your local shop, Winter is the best time to save money on parts/accessories/new bikes. The manufactures are motivated, winter shipping and sales rates are in effect….and the time is now. And if you want to wait and pay more later….thats cool too.
I’ll leave todays post with a shot of Guac from Over The Edge, HU.

Well, its been really nice commuting to work this week. It seems like I”ve been a cager (term used my motorcyclists and bicyclists for car-going individual) during the time it took to move the shop from Silver Creek to Kimball Jct. Nice to be out there in the cold, on the snow….and biking to work. Any day….everyday…..whatever it takes.
The space is coming along nicely….big thanks as always to Tim B for being in charge of the buildout.
We may be far from done, but the shop is 100% up and running and bicycles are being serviced.
Hows that for a spicy little meatball?
In retail bicycle news, I finally read the bicycle industry publication (the BRAIN) and they had an article on how after 15 years, Specialized shut down one of their long standing dealers. Being me, I did some research on the matter….and also because I was asked my opinion. The long and the short of it is that we, as retailers, make decisions about what brands to carry. Sometimes we carry brands because we love them – take for example every brand our shop carries, seen HERE. Sometimes we carry brands because they are available in our area – so if they meet our needs – we sell them. In my shops case, for years I carried On One….when I really wanted to carry Surly. On One was a dandy brand…it was a little hard to get things shipped from overseas…but the bikes were good. Voodoo was the same. Voodoo was a good brand, available, but seemingly out of stock most of the time. Kona became available and the rest is history. Owning a bicycle shop is exactly like being in a bike race…You attack a position…you defend. You take risks…or not. You plan and execute.
In the case of the Specialized dealer, they are also a Giant dealer and its really the contract that they have with Giant that prevented them from fulfilling the wishes of the big red S. I know Mike Sinyard, and he is an honorable man. He does what he has to….to keep his company in business….I do the same. I’d also like to say that its the responsibility of the shop to maintain the relationship with the vendor. Historically, my shop does not sell a large number of bikes – yet we remain the dealer for so many high end brands because when it comes time to sell, we are 100% committed to that product and believe in its performance. I see often times shops “collecting” brands to lockout other stores or just make themselves feel better about themselves. Thats cool, sometimes dentists do a bunch of free work just to feel busy and not worry about payroll. Manufactures are wising up to this – take Salsa for example. Even I”d love to be a Salsa dealer, but it would overlap too much with our other brands and dilute things. It is what it is.
There was also an article on “Showrooming”. Thats when you walk into my store, scan the product barcode, and then buy it on your smartphone right in front of me. Its classy. As I’ve said for years, the best strategy to combat shrooming is the bicycle studio model. Small, lean, educated bicycle shops can smell a rat 100 feet away, and even if you have some ex pro racer or shop employee in your shop wasting your time, you keep your exposure limited and your losses minimal. As far as the product goes, you’ve got to know more about it than the consumer can find online. Lastly, I find that for sizing bicycles, if I don’t have 100% confidence that the person will buy from me….I’ll keep their size to myself, and make that information part of the value they get from buying a bike from my shop. Anyway, to those who asked, hope that helps.
Speaking of small businesses, I’d like to give a super high five to Flagstaff’s Late For The Train Coffee Shop. LFTT and PT‘s is where I learned about Flagstaff Bicycle Culture. Late for the Train turned 20 years old this month…and let me tell you friends….its still where I go for a morning coffee as I stumble out of the Monte V.THIS is funny…From Fixie Dave, who has couch surfed at my shop….and did in fact, not leave a trace. And I appreciate that since according to my zoning, I am not to have houseguests at the shop.
And in Dental News, THIS is a great article exposing why you go in and your dentist is trying to sell you the moon and the stars.
Whats sad is that these poor saps are more worried about being employed the next month then servicing their student loans or families. Trust me, I worked for a corporate dental office for 30 days…..yup, they canned me for not making their production goals…I was close, but I refused to embellish treatment plans to make money. That, my friends in called honor to duty. And as always pumpkins, I am not for sale.
In New Years news, I forgot to post this….from Big Jonny’s people….This is how we used to roll on NYE.

Wanna see something strange? How about my dental office building without my bicycle shop in it?
Come and Gone. Like Dust in the Wind. Or something.
Nice to have that task behind me. But don’t worry, today is Public Health Night at the office and I’ll be there.
The new shop looks great. Big thanks to Tim for continuing to make it the best looking shop in town.
Speaking of MountainVelo, it is through them that I found out about the Timp Grand Fondo.
That Alpine loop has always been on my mind….perhaps this year could be the year?
In Park City Snow condition news, the trails are in excellent condition. Though my skis still have the storage wax on them, I went out and rode the Pugsley yesterday and it was dreamy. Yes, I spent all of the sunny Saturday moving the last of my wordly possessions out of my old space, but cloud cover or not, Sundays ride was a dandy.
Pugsley World Championships are next month in this place, Decorah, IA.
And speaking of events, this is happening in KC….thanks Zeke.
For you filers out there…this is happening as well….courtesy of Jason Grove of El Camino Fabulous.
Until next time, I”ll leave you with this deep thought.

In sad news, Pro Racer Burry Stander was killed in a bicycle/car crash in is home country of South Africa. It is a good day to fight….it is a good day to die.
Read about it here.
Now on to a story of hope. Later on this month, our friends at Ride 2 Recovery have an event in Las Vegas. As it stands, the shop will be there.
Some of the riders participating in the ride has lost pieces of their bodies fighting for our country and I was sent this link so show off some stylish prosthetics…since I dig that sort of thing….even if its not prosthetic teeth.
This is my favorite…because I like tattoos and chrome.
I have also been sent this upper prosth gem.
In other fun news, The Creators Game, also knows as Lacrosse, or if you really know the sport, Box Lacrosse is helping kids. I can attest to it. I remember the days playing box lacrosse with my brother…faster than outdoor, more contact, full pads needed – even if you played attack. Good Times.

In other news, the cold temps here are getting me temped to wax my nordic skis.
I’ve been informed by Troy that Fruita is cold.
Thats cool, I like cold weather.
But what they really excite me for is getting back down south to help out the Cross Race next Saturday.
Be there or be square.
Last but not least, have a great friday!
(please no comments about the cheezeball Giant….its still a cool shot and this sponsored kid would ride anything).

Happy new year everybody.
I figured that by now, you’ve been bailed out of jail so its time for a post.

Lots of exciting stuff for the new year. In Park City, the shop continues to “settle”. Phase one was just moving out of the old space, and now phase 2 is the settling and sorting of tools, product and goods….all while being wide open for business.
Later on today (I hope), I’m also going to give the website a once over.

The Santa Clara shop is also still in its settling phase, while being open.
Here is the latest shot from the shop floor.

The Kitchen cabinet (installed in 1914) has also almost been refinished.

I even sorted out most of the dental office….can you believe it?

There was also riding, and some maintenance.
I’ll tell a story I”ve told many times before. Years ago, I rode a lot….a ton…..and never did any trail maintenance. About the time I got the PC shop started, I began to do trail work. And all I can say is that I wish I’d done it years before. There are few things more satisfying than riding a trail that you helped to create or maintain. The British Military has a saying about how when a soldier falls that in that spot a little bit of Britain remains. I think thats true as well if you put your work into a trail.
So, on Barrel Roll, I found a spelunking line…
And then covered that bitch right up.
Took 1 minute.

I also had a chance this weekend to talk to Quentin from Over the Edge. We discussed trail conditions. There were a lot of muddy bikes in the St. George area over the past few weeks. Self control is also part of trail maintenance…..I know that you drove down from Ogden, and that you just HAVE to ride some dirt….but please….only ride where it s safe. And the J.E.M is not safe if it rains.
Alright, thats all I got for now.